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Judy Ann Santos brings life to the folk song "Ploning"

Judy Ann Santos (inset) is expected to shoot herscenes in Cuyo Island, Palawan. The pier of Cuyo (above) is one of thebreathtaking locations of the movie Ploning, which is expected to openin theaters in April 2008.

Judy Ann Santos and Iza Calzado are slated to shoot themovie Ploning in Cuyo Island, Palawan, by the end of this month.Panoramanila Pictures Co. is expecting Juday (Judy Ann's nickname) to tape hersequences on the picturesque island from January 25 to February 11, 2008. Izawill be joining her co-stars during the last week of January.

Director Dante Garcia is a close friend of Juday who has beenstyling the young superstar for the past 16 years. He tells PEP (PhilippineEntertainment Portal) how he got the idea for the movie Ploning, whichhe conceptualized around seven years ago.

YCAP (YouthCountryside Action for Progress) was a government-funded program during the martial law years. Former president Ferdinand Marcos encouraged the youth toparticipate in activities that supported nationaldevelopment.

Other key characters of the story are to be played by MeryllSoriano and Eugene Domingo. "Yung characters ni Meryll as Meme and EugeneDomingo, sila ang iba-ibang layers ng babae, how I understood women. Ploningis a movie about women from the point of view of a boy," explains Dante.

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Meryll accompanied the crew of Ploning during one oftheir ocular visits and she met a young boy who was eventually cast as a maincharacter of the movie. The adolescent Cuyonon (native of Cuyo) will be playingthe younger version of Jhong Hilario in the movie.

Comedienne Eugene is tapped to play the half-paralyzedmother Juaning while another local, Ogoy Agustin, will play Veling. The olderversion of Veling will be portrayed by character actor Ronnie Lazaro.

"First time rin ito na walang leading man si Judy Ann. Youwill hear about a man in her past but you won't see him," he points out.

The movie is expected to open in theaters nationwide onApril 2008. Since the movie is about an unmarried woman who is about to reach 30, which makes her an "old maid" by rural standards,Panoramanila aims to release the movie before Judy Ann turns 30 onMay 11.